Today is deadline to register for presidential primary voting

Early voting dates, locations announced

If you haven't registered for Florida's GOP Presidential Preference Primary, you are running out of time.

Today is deadline to vote in the Jan. 31 primary election. The general election is scheduled for Nov. 6. The primary election is open to all registered Republican voters. Florida is a closed primary state, meaning voters must be registered with a polical party to vote in that party's primary.

St. Johns County voters have a number of options to register today. In addition to Supervisor of Elections offices, voters can register at all county libraries, which are open until 8 p.m., with the exception of the Hastings branch. It is open until 7 p.m., said Supervisor of Elections Vickie Oakes.

Oakes also said voters may register online by going to www.sjcvotes.us An online registration form can be completed, printed and mailed or hand delivered to her office or one of its branches. If the form is mailed, it must be postmarked today, she added.

Oakes reminds voters they can check their voting status - address, party affiliation, name - by going to the website as well. Just click on the large red and blue, star-spangled V on the lower half of the homepage. If you need to change parties, a signed, hand-written note is sufficient. Also, a signature is required if a name change is needed. An address can be changed by calling her office at 823-2238.

Early voting sites include the Supervisor of Elections' main office at 4455 Ave. A, Suite 101; the Southeast branch library; St. Augustine Beach City Hall; Hastings Town Hall; the Ponte Vedra branch library; and the Julington Creek courthouse annex.

Democrats will also hold a presidential preference primary, but President Obama is the only candidate on the ballot. There are nine Republicans listed on the GOP ballot, including Herman Cain, who suspended his campaign late last year.

Florida law typically requires the voter books to close on the 29th day before the election.

Other registration sites include any driver's license or tax collector's office or any office that provides public assistance.